Holding Mia

by Terri Anne Browning

  For two guys, they kept the house neater than my mother’s housekeeper, Gail, did our house back in Malibu.

  “Four years in the Marines will teach anyone to stay clean,” Barrick commented as he opened the door to Braxton’s room and flipped on the light.

  Sasha the German Shepherd lifted her head from a pillow and wagged her tail tiredly. “Hey, girl. Come meet Mia,” he called to her.

  Slowly, as if her bones hurt, Sasha climbed off the bed and walked over to us. I crouched down, rubbing her under her chin. “Hello, sweet girl,” I greeted, letting her lick my cheek.

  “Sasha is seventeen,” Barrick explained. “She’s been through a lot and is the best dog I’ve ever met. She’s the only one who can make Braxton smile when he’s in one of his moods.”

  Giving the dog one last scratch, I straightened. “So, you were both in the Marines?” I asked as he opened the door behind him.

  His bedroom.

  “Yeah. It’s kind of a family thing. Both my dad and stepdad were in the Marines. I went in, and then three years later when Brax graduated high school, he followed. His mom is still pissed at me for that, not that I can blame her after what happened. He never would have signed on if I hadn’t.” He flipped on the lights and motioned me in before closing the door.

  The room was perfect. Bed made, no dirty clothes on the floor. It even looked like it had been recently vacuumed. Both my brother’s and Jordan’s rooms were disasters. You couldn’t tell where the floor was because there were normally so many random things scattered across it.

  I was almost afraid to touch anything for fear I would mess it up.

  “What happened, exactly?” I asked, sitting carefully on the edge of his bed. “I mean, I saw his leg this morning, but I didn’t want to be rude…”

  He grimaced as he dropped down beside me, his eyes stormy. “IED while he was deployed. It nearly killed him, but he had a good field medic who stayed with him until they could get him to base. From there, they had to fly him to Germany.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “That was a year ago. He spent four months in the hospital in Germany before they sent him home.”

  I touched Barrick’s back. “I can’t imagine how scary that must have been.”

  “I was already out by then, but I flew to Germany to be with him. His parents tried to keep me away, said I was nothing but a bad influence and the only reason Brax was even there. But Brax is stubborn as hell. He’s going to do whatever he wants to do. It’s not like he’s some lost puppy following after me just so he has direction in his life.” I wasn’t sure if he was explaining it to me or trying to convince himself, because there was guilt shining out of his dark eyes, and I ached for both him and Braxton.

  “His parents treat him like he’s helpless now, and he can’t stand it. So, he moved in with me.” He lay back and glared up at the ceiling.

  Lying on my side, I propped my head up on my hand. He was quiet for a while, and I didn’t like him being lost in his head with unpleasant thoughts. Boldly, I stroked my fingers through his beard, enjoying the tickle of the well-trimmed hair against my fingertips.

  In my experience, there weren’t many guys who had full beards at twenty-four, but it suited him so much.

  He closed his eyes, and he pressed into my touch for a moment before covering my hand with his own. “You were a surprise, Mia,” he murmured, opening his eyes to meet my gaze. “I wasn’t expecting…” Voice trailing off, he clenched his jaw and shook his head before pressing my palm to his lips and getting to his feet.

  Turning back to me, he offered his hand. “You’re too tempting like this. Come on before I lose my mind and do something we’ll both regret in the morning.”

  I hesitated, staring at his hand as I remained where I was. “Who said I would regret it?”

  With a curse, he dropped his hand and walked away. Reaching the door, he flipped the lock and started back toward me with that predatory look in his dark eyes. I watched him approach with my heart beating me half to death, my breaths already coming in little pants as I anticipated his first touch…

  My phone ringing had us both jerking like we’d been hit with an electric shock. Grabbing it, I groaned when I saw it was Momma. “I have to take this,” I told him regretfully.

  He nodded, combing his fingers through his hair frustratedly. “Maybe it’s a good thing. We don’t want to rush this. Right?”

  “What is…this, anyway?” I asked, then quickly shook my head. “No. Don’t answer that. I’m not sure I want to know yet.”

  He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, I lifted the phone to my ear. “Hey, Momma!”

  “Hey, sweetheart.” Mom’s voice soothed some of my frayed nerves as I sat up. “I know it’s not our usual time to chat, but I’m getting ready to board a plane for Seattle, and I wanted to hear your voice.”

  “What’s in Seattle?” I asked, brows lifted.

  “Long story,” she said with a drawn-out sigh. “Anyway, how was your day? Physical therapy kick your ass?”

  “Basically. I just had dinner with two of my new friends, though, so that’s a nice way to end the day,” I said, looking right at Barrick as I stressed the “friend” part. But I wasn’t sure if I was putting emphasis on it for his and my benefit or Momma’s.

  His lips tilted up in a grin, and he finally sat back down beside me.

  “I’m so glad you’re making new friends. Speaking of which, Jordan’s mother called me just the other day, saying she was worried about him. Then today, Gabriella said she didn’t think you two were getting along. Is everything okay between the two of you?”

  “Yes, everything is fine with Jordan and me.” I was glad I didn’t have to lie to her about it. “Well, there was this thing, but we sorted it out and made up earlier tonight, actually.”

  “So, everything is good now?”

  “It’s getting there,” I assured her just as Barrick picked up my free hand and started playing with my fingers. Watching him made me smile, but his touch was distracting me. “Is Daddy going with you to Seattle?”

  She made an annoyed sound. “No. Jagger has a show he’s been asked to sit in on as a judge, and you know I always want at least one of us there with him. I hate that I’m going to miss this.”

  My brother was following in our father’s footsteps, and he and his best friend Cannon had already started their music career as a duo. They had an album in the works and had been promoting it like crazy.

  “You’re not going alone, though, right?” I was allowed to worry about her just as much as she worried about me. It was worse for her, though. She tended to step on a lot of toes professionally as well as personally, and there were plenty of angry people in the world who would love to take a swing at her.

  “Don’t worry about me, sweetheart. I have Marcus with me.” A voice in the background was announcing the boarding call for Seattle, and she groaned. “I have to go. We can talk tomorrow, and you can tell me all about these new friends of yours. Bye, I love you.”

  “I love you too, Momma,” I whispered before she disconnected.

  For a long moment, I just sat there, staring down at my phone while Barrick continued to play with my fingers. I missed her so much that my heart was literally throbbing.

  “Who is Jordan?” he asked after a minute or so had passed.

  I lifted my head, confused by the tone in his voice. “What?”

  “Jordan,” he repeated. “Who is that?”

  “Oh.” I shrugged. “He’s my best friend.”

  “Gay?”

  Heat filled my cheeks because I knew for a fact that Jordan was anything but gay. Even before our moment of insanity, he’d gotten around with half the girls in high school. “Nope. Definitely not gay.”

  His hold on my fingers tightened. “But he’s your best friend?”

  I lifted my brows at the hardness in his voice. “Yes. Since we were little.” I tugged on my hand, but he didn’t release m
e. “What? Do you have a problem with that?”

  “What kind of friend is he?” he demanded, and it hit me that he was jealous.

  “I’m not answering that.” Because I knew exactly what he was asking. Friends with benefits.

  “Mia…” His tone held a warning, but I wasn’t even going to attempt to explain my friendship with Jordan. I shouldn’t have to. What happened between us was just that. Between us.

  “It’s getting late,” I announced as I stood. “I should head back to the dorm.”

  Muttering a curse, he followed me to the door. “I’ll drive you back.”

  “It’s only a few blocks,” I argued. “I can walk.”

  “I’m driving you,” he repeated.

  “Whatever,” I grumbled and grabbed my bag off the couch in the living room where I’d left it earlier.

  Braxton was still in the kitchen when we passed through it to go out the back door. “Leaving already?” he asked with a frown as he lifted his huge mug of coffee.

  “Yeah,” I told him with a half smile. “It’s getting late, and I have a morning class.”

  He shook his head at me in disgust. “Why would you do that to yourself?”

  “Some of us like mornings.” I gave him a one-armed hug while Barrick glowered at us from the open door. “See you tomorrow.”

  “I’ll bring coffee. Text me how you take yours.” Giving me a squeeze, he smirked at his cousin before stepping back. “Be careful out there, Mia.”

  The drive to my dorm was short and tense. I didn’t even know why I was mad—or what right Barrick had to be mad in the first place.

  As he pulled the Jeep up in front of my building, I grabbed the door handle, but before I could get the door open, he grasped my hand and tugged me around to face him. “I’m sorry,” he said with a sigh. “Don’t leave pissed at me.”

  “I don’t even know what I’m pissed about, to be honest.” I stroked my fingers over his jaw, and he lowered his lashes, enjoying my touch. “Were we fighting? I don’t remember fighting.”

  “We weren’t fighting. I was just being a jealous idiot.” He leaned in and brushed his lips against my forehead.

  Just that light touch had the power to steal the breath from my lungs. My fingers reached out, grabbing his shirt and balling into fists around the material, needing something to hold on to because it suddenly felt like I was falling.

  Chapter 7

  Mia

  I could teach kids to dance all day and not have a moment of anxiety, but put me in a room of adult students, and I was nervous as hell.

  Friday night, I stood in front of my adults-only class and channeled my mother, knowing I would need it as the youngest chick in the room.

  “I don’t know what your reasons are for taking this particular class, and to be honest, I don’t want to know. The goal is to relax, have fun, and find the confidence in yourself to unleash your inner sex goddess.” I tossed my hair over my shoulder, already annoyed with it. But for this class, it was one of the props that had to be incorporated, so I couldn’t pull it into the bun I was itching to.

  Cora had started a new, adults-only class and put me in charge of it—probably to see if I had the guts to do it or not.

  Because this wasn’t a typical dance class.

  It was a pole dancing class.

  To teach women to become more confident in their bodies while getting a workout. At least that was what the flyer said when I’d seen it posted on the board in the lobby out front where parents were allowed to wait for their kids.

  For the first class, there was a staggeringly good turnout. Every pole that had been set up earlier that evening was taken by women ranging in age from early twenties to late forties. Every single one of them had a different body type, and I liked seeing the diversity in the room.

  Some of the older women looked shy and embarrassed, while a group of three younger women was snickering in the back corner like the mean girls I could already tell they were.

  I adjusted the Lycra shorts I was wearing and the matching sports bra, wishing I could have worn the simple black leotard I normally wore for my littles’ classes.

  “I want you all to relax and enjoy yourselves in here. This is a safe place, and no one…” My gaze went to the three in the back, still giggling. Each of them was dressed like Hooker Barbie, but I wasn’t going to call them out on their G-string and Band-Aid-sized tops that barely covered their nipples. I meant it when I said this was a safe place—even for them. “No one will make you feel like you don’t belong here.”

  That seemed to relax the majority of the women and got the mean girls to stop giggling. For the next thirty minutes, I went over the basics, and five minutes before class was over, they were all getting comfortable with the poles.

  Excusing everyone, I grabbed my bag and pulled out the sweatshirt I’d put in there before class. My SoCal constitution wasn’t used to the cooler temperatures of the late evenings in NoVa.

  As I walked out of the building, I was already pulling my hair into a knot on top of my head.

  A horn honking had me turning to see what was going on, only to find a town car mere feet away. The back window rolled down, and Lyla stuck her head out. “Let’s go, sexy!”

  Frowning, I walked over to the car and slid in beside her. “What’s going on?” I asked as I finished securing my hair with a scrunchie.

  “Underground fight tonight.” She scanned her eyes over me, shaking her head. “Maybe I should have brought you a change of clothes.”

  “There’s no time to change?” I glanced down at the shorts that barely covered my ass. At least my sweatshirt covered my middle, but I felt exposed. I’d seen other people wearing less than what I had on at the Underground earlier in the week, but I wasn’t a fan of showing off this much skin.

  “Nope. This one’s a little farther out of the way than the one Tuesday. As it is, we’re already going to be late.” She gave me one more appraisal and shrugged. “It’s fine. I’ll take care of it. Barrick won’t lose his mind…I hope.” The last part was muttered half under her breath.

  Laughing, I shook my head. Figuring I needed to check in with my mom before I went into the Underground, I texted her the entire ride, which lasted over half an hour. Momma was still in Seattle, and she was royally pissed about it because she was missing my brother’s second day of filming as a guest judge on some music show.

  As much as she worked, Momma rarely ever had missed important events in our lives. I pitied whoever was causing her to miss out on this with Jagger. No doubt she was making them wish they’d never been born.

  The driver pulled up in front of a warehouse similar to the one from Tuesday night, but this one was a little bigger from the looks of it. Definitely a lot more people, that was for sure.

  I wasn’t surprised when someone opened the door for us, but I was surprised to see it was Braxton. I took his hand as he assisted me out, and his dark eyes, so much like his cousin’s, scanned me from head to toe.

  “Yeah, you’re right. He’s going to lose his damn mind.” Shaking his head, he glared at Lyla. “Why didn’t you think of this before you brought her?”

  “Um, because I didn’t think, period. She normally wears these cute little ballet things.” She waved a hand at my bare legs. “I wasn’t expecting a sexy vixen when I picked her up.”

  “What’s the big deal?” I demanded. “I have more clothes on than half the other chicks here. Yes, I feel a little exposed, but it’s fine.”

  Braxton clenched his jaw. “We have to get you some jeans or a skirt, something. Barrick will kill someone.”

  That only had me laughing again. “It’s none of Barrick’s business if I show up here naked. Which I’m not. I have on clothes, damn it.”

  “Howler probably has some sweats in his bag,” Lyla suggested.

  “His left leg is bigger than her. They would fall off her even if we tied them in knots.” Braxton blew out a frustrated
breath and glanced around. “You! Come here.”

  I was so used to him being laid-back and all smiles, the command in his tone made me jump slightly. But a girl in the group behind us melted away from her friends and walked over to us with a dreamy look on her face. Dressed in skinny jeans and a long, baby-doll style top, she looked cute in her outfit but not sexy.

  “Hi, Braxton,” she purred as she wrapped her arms around one of his and clung to him.

  “You got panties on under there?” he demanded, and the girl actually started panting.

  “Yeah, baby. Why? You want to see them?”

  I wanted to roll my eyes and make a gagging sound, but Braxton only shook her off his arm. “I need your jeans.” Pulling out his wallet, he produced two hundred-dollar bills. “Now.”

  My eyes widened. Her jeans weren’t even worth a quarter of that by the looks of them. “What are you doing?” I hissed at him. “You can’t buy some chick’s jeans for me. That’s ridiculous.”

  “Barrick will pay me back,” he excused, waving the money in the girl’s face. “We got a deal or not?”

  “Um…” She glanced between Braxton and me, then straight at Lyla, who took a menacing step toward her when she didn’t answer quickly enough. “Deal,” she squeaked, snatching the money out of his hand and then kicking off her shoes long enough to take her jeans off right there.

  I cringed as she got catcalls and whistles from guys standing close by. I moved to shield her, giving her some privacy, but she actually seemed to eat up the attention.

  Shoving the jeans in my direction, she folded her money and tucked it into her shirt before bouncing back to her friends.

  “Hurry and put them on,” Lyla ordered. “We need to get you covered. Now.”

  Sighing, I toed off my street shoes and then pulled on the jeans. They were a size too big, but they would do. My two friends seemed to breathe a little easier as soon as I started zipping them up.

  Bending, I pulled my Converse back on, and when I straightened, I glared at them. “Happy?”

  “Immensely,” Braxton said with a nod. “Now, let’s go. The fight is about to start.”